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The BMW Championship heads to Wilmington Country Club in Delaware this week, the tiny state wedged between New Jersey and Maryland in the north-east of the country on the Atlantic coast. It’s not to be confused with the Wells Fargo Championship’s one-off visit to Eagle Point in Wilmington, North Carolina a few years ago. Instead, it is the PGA Tour’s first stop to the state. The track is a par-71 which will be played at a yardage just above 7,500 yards and is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design which immediately provides clues. He is very much an architect of his time – he uses bunkers to frame holes, often demands carries over them from the tee and with approaches, there can also be trickery involved. In more modern time his methods have fallen out of favour a little but many have also enjoyed (playing and watching) from Firestone Country Club and Valderrama – his two layouts that have been most commonly used either side of the Atlantic. The layout is not huge but it is in the top 10 of the longest tracks played in the last three years. It is also notable for having big greens with bent grass on them (as well as the fairways) and for two of the three par-5s being over 630 yards. Although new to the PGA Tour, the layout did host the 2013 Palmer Cup when Justin Thomas won three and halved his fourth match. He’s the only player in the field who played that week.
Angles to consider 1/ RTJ Sr. In addition to Firestone and Valderrama, think of Adare Manor, Bellerive, Hazeltine and Oak Hill. 2/ Big greens They are also very slopey and swift. Look for players who are good at avoiding three putts. 3/ Playoffs Some players enjoy the challenge of these end of season events, others are not so keen. Many will be looking to secure a place in the top 30 and with it a spot in next week’s field. But the elite will also have good reason to keep the foot to the floor – they now know exactly what impact the starting strokes have on the action at East Lake. In short, a big impact.
Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected.
Xander Schauffele He shot 64-70 when winning the JP McManus Pro Am at Adare Manor in July and either side of that success he won the Travelers Championship and the Scottish Open. He followed that hat trick with T15th in the Open. After a month off he finished outside the top 50 last week but will be better for the rust removal operation. Ranks 11th for Three Putt Avoidance this season. Justin Thomas He’s not just got those good vibes about the course, he is also a past winner at Firestone Country Club, winning by four shots in 2018. He’s also a former champion in the event, at Medinah in 2019. Keegan Bradley Another former winner at Firestone in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and in fact he has five top 20s in five starts (three of them top four). He’s also a past champion in the event and he’s also 13th for Three Putt Avoidance.
Tips: 1-2; +0.25pts 1.25pt e.w. Xander Schauffele at 20/1 (Paddy Power, Betway, BF Sportsbook, William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) 3rd 1.25pt e.w. Justin Thomas at 16/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) 13th 0.5pt e.w. Keegan Bradley at 100/1 (Skybet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) 58th
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